It’s Monday-What Are You Reading-4/22/13

Here we are with another chance to share wonderful books with each other thanks to Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts and Sheila over at Book Journey who both sponsor this great meme each week for young adult/children and adult respectively!

Intermediate Grades:

Young Adult:

The only reason I labeled See You At Harry’s as young adult is because of the issue of homosexuality. It’s actually written for 10 and above. I LOVED the story, but I teach in a VERY VERY conservative area so I won’t be able to recommend it to my 5/6 graders because of this. Boo.

Acutally, I liked ALL of the books I read this week. My least favorite one was Pinned, and here’s why. It’s not because of the plot. I mean it centered around 2 teens-both with disabilities. One with a reading disability-the other one wheelchair bound. Those are some deep and very real issues. The thing that kept me from loving it was that the dialect of one of the character’s was very difficult to read. I’m not saying the author was wrong to write it that way-it was just hard for me to read and follow. 🙂

Love?Maybe was the cutest and most lighthearted for the week. Like really cute and lighthearted. Just what I needed after a couple of holocaust books.

I just started Waiting on Normal.

After this one I’ve got to jump on my Rereads for April that I’ve committed to doing-Where the Wild Things Are, Charlotte’s Web, and The Outsiders!

Of course, this upcoming week is another crazy one-didn’t I just say that last week????? 🙂 Honor’s Banquet, Athletic Banquet, PTO meeting, Track Sectionals, and visiting Munford High School on Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m curious about your thoughts on not recommending books regarding homosexuality due to the makeup of the students and their families. Do you not allow those books on your classroom shelves at all? That’s an issue I think about frequently as a pre-service teacher and I totally see where you’re coming from. On one hand, I want my students to be able to read excellent books and to have broader minds because of it, but I also don’t want to lose my job or get in trouble with the school administration or parents. What’s your philosophy on those touchy subjects/books that might fly in one school district but not in yours?

Are there other topics and book themes you avoid for the same reasons?

I want my students to have broader minds as well. However, you would not believe how conservative our little town is. I mean-REALLY conservative. Bibles were given to our 5th graders just today, someone does this for 5th grade every year. I just don’t want the calls from parents that I know I would get, so I avoid anything that is considered controversial.

When I find a curse word in a book sometimes I will mark it out with a marker. This may be a cowardly way to handle things, but I just pick my battles. 🙂

As far as other topics I guess I haven’t come across much in the books I’ve read. If there’s a make out scene I don’t put it on the shelves.

But remember this is 5/6 graders. I might be more lenient if I taught older students.

I don’t think it’s cowardly. Some battles are just not worth fighting. It’s good to hear a teacher’s take on it. Thanks!

I’ve been reading a lot of YA lit lately, and there are almost zero books that have no references to sex or making out, and all of them have at least one swear word. I just read “Hoot” and have started “Bridge to Terabithia” and both have a handful of swear words even though I think they’re “middle level” books. It’s hard to find books that won’t cause some sort of stir, but maybe I just haven’t read the right books yet.